Fundulus blairae
Wiley and Hall 1975
Family Fundulidae

Lateral view of a western starhead topminnow
The western starhead topminnow pictured above was collected in Escambia County, Florida in 2015. It is now part of the Florida Museum ichthyology collection, UF 237766. Florida Museum photo by Zachary Randall

The western starhead topminnow is a member of the topminnow family. It has a blue-black bar under the eye, and lacks dusky bars on the side of the body. Adults generally have a yellow-green body with rows of bright red spots on the side, and females have many dark dashes and specks between the rows of red spots. Western starhead topminnows can be found in swamps, and in quiet pools and backwaters of creeks and small rivers. They’re usually at the surface, near vegetation.

Status & distribution

  • Status — Native freshwater
  • Florida Distribution — Western and North Central drainages
  • River Drainages — the Perdido River and the Escambia River
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